Apple added two new stations to the Apple TV on Tuesday: PBS and Yahoo Screen. The PBS station will feature primetime shows, including Downton Abbey. The shows will be available on Apple TV a few hours after they air live. Yahoo Screen will feature clips from Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and others, as well as original Yahoo programming.
Apple adds PBS, Yahoo Screen to Apple TV
It’s kinda funny that Apple did this because Amazon signed a deal to get an exclusive on Downton Abbey future seasons, but that exclusive did not exclude the PBS website or app. So Amazon paid a bunch of money to prevent Netflix from getting Downton Abbey. Meanwhile anybody with access to the PBS app (or PBS over-the-air of course) can watch it for free with a single commercial in the middle.
The Verge is reporting it doesn’t include Downton Abbey. So, which is it?
As with just about everything streaming video, it’s complicated. Per AllThingsD:
It also only offers a single episode of PBS’ blockbuster “Downton Abbey”; Amazon has acquired exclusive streaming rights for that show’s old episodes.
(UPDATE: More “Downton Abbey” to come, PBS says via email: “Our stations are re-airing Downton Abbey season 2 and 3 through December. Each of these episodes—as well as new Season 4 episodes beginning in January—will be available for a limited window following the on-air broadcast.”)
https://goo.gl/DUW7dg&wihyb
Isn’t the fact that Apple continues to add “channels” to the AppleTV indicate this was the TV code that Jobs claimed to have cracked. As Apple inks deals with broadcasters, the “channels” get added as apps. Not a bad idea.
Only supported in the US—nothing here in Japan (Apple’s most profitable overseas market).
I would say yes, it is likely a part of it, if not it.
That said, I would like to see these channels out of the base iOS and into a user selected ‘store’. Especially if they aren’t going to raise the hardware storage size. I don’t watch sports, Disney kids etc, so why bloat up my device with those apps. Let me decide what I see and don’t.
Next step. Direct subscriptions and no more ‘if you have a nice cable company’ games